A Crash Course in Chemistry

Lesson Date: Monday September 9, 2013

By: Anne Clayton


In this lesson basic chemistry concepts from grade ten science and grade eleven chemistry were reviewed, such as bonds, polarity, and intermolecular forces.

Intramolecular Forces

- atoms bond in order to have the same number of electrons in their outer valence shell as the closest noble gas.
- ionic bonds form between a metal and a non metal
  • the metal gives electrons to the non-metal
  • the metal becomes a positively charged cation, the non-metal a negatively charged anion
- covalent bonds form between two non metals
  • the electrons are not transferred as in an ionic bond - they are shared
  • a pure covalent bond occurs when the sharing is completely equal and the two atoms have the same electronegativity value (such as two C atoms)
  • a polar covalent bond occurs when there is an unequal sharing of the electrons and the atoms have a different electronegativity value
  • in a polar covalent bond the atom with the higher electronegativity has a slight negative charge and the atom with the lower electronegativity has a slight positive charge.

Polar Molecules

- a molecule that contains polar bonds may or may not be overall polar
- in a polar molecule charges are unevenly distributed - polar bonds and asymmetry in the molecule must be present
- if the molecule is symmetrical, the charges are cancelled out and the molecule is overall non polar.

Intermolecular Forces

- are the forces of attraction between molecules
- weaker than intramolecular forces
- physical changes break or weaken these forces
- physical properties of a substance are determined by intermolecular forces
- London Dispersion Forces are based on the simultaneous attraction of the electrons of one molecule and the positive nuclei of neighbouring molecules
  • exist in ALL molecules
  • strength is related to the number of electrons and protons in each molecule
- Dipole-dipole forces occur between polar molecules and are based on the simultaneous attraction of the positive end of one molecule to the negative end of another
- Hydrogen Bonds are a special type of dipole dipole force that occur between molecules with hydrogen bonded to nitrogen (N), oxygen (O) or fluorine (F)
  • Are extremely strong due to the immense electronegativity difference between H and the most electronegative elements
  • For a substance to be able to dissolve in water, it must have the ability to hydrogen bond.

Here is a video that talks about molecular polarity in depth. MAKE SURE YOU WATCH IT WITH THE ANNOTATIONS ON!